


miles to go

by en passant (corinthian)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 03:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3835819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corinthian/pseuds/en%20passant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Thanks for the smiles and laughter, we’ll never forget.</i>
</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>AU. Funerals, traveling circuses, new beginnings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	miles to go

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to do the YGO_69min too, but I'm not an artist so I speedwrote instead... The prompt was "smile."

Ruri was disappointed that he didn’t go to the funeral. She dressed in her Sunday best, dug out an old ankle length skirt that had been their mother’s and traded with their neighbor for a length of violet ribbon to tie in her hair. She didn’t try to rouse him, but she left the front door open and unlocked. When Shun got up to close it there was no way he would miss the folded package Ruri had left on the doorstep for him. A dark blue shirt, ironed and folded and resting atop a pair of black slacks on top of a pair of shoes she must have also bartered for. He locked the door and retreated to their shared bedroom.

_You should have come._ Ruri didn’t say it out loud, she didn’t accuse him, but she sat at the foot of his bed and told him about the service. It had been nice but minimal, she saved a pamphlet for him and also one of the photo albums from the memorial table.

“I won’t push, not yet, but you’re not the only person who lost someone.” She said, but gave him his space. After she left, Shun examined the pamphlet. He turned it over in his hands as if he hadn’t seen paper before, apprehensively wondering how anyone could distill a life down to a single leaflet, double sided. Some kind of unnamed anger coursed down his right arm and his thumb dimpled the paper, dug in and crumpled it.

_Thanks for the smiles and laughter, we’ll never forget._

—

It almost never rained. Or at least, it never rained _enough_ , but somehow Shun had found the singular rain puddle in the city. His own reflection caught his eye, the unfamiliar hard edged look in his eyes didn’t seem familiar at all. There was a mirror hanging in their bathroom and yet —

and yet it felt like he hadn’t seen himself in months. Certainly not since Yuuto had died. Had it been months? It might have only been days. It might have been a year. He’d been told, by someone, it might have been Ruri, about the way that grief warps time. When something that’s always been by your side isn’t there anymore it’s a lot harder to place yourself in the world.

A foot interrupted his thoughts. A foot in a bright yellow sneaker slammed down into the puddle and sprayed tepid water onto both of them. Shun’s dark jeans didn’t show the splash at all but the other’s stonewashed jeans darkened and dripped. Color from far too many marker doodles, or maybe paint, inched down the denim, aided by the water.

“Woah, sorry about that! Hope I didn’t _dampen_ the mood!” A laugh, a wave of the hands, completely unfamiliar body language. But what Shun saw was Yuuto’s smile, stitched onto a stranger’s face.

“What a bad joke,” he said.

—

Yuuya was new to town. His father owned a traveling carnival and they were spending the summer. He was almost two years younger than Shun. He dyed his hair red and green last Christmas but had liked how it looked so much he’d made it a regular thing. His childhood friend did highwire, trapeze and tiger taming. He had an animated way of speaking that clipped along at an odd rhythm with an accent Shun couldn’t quite place.

“So, what do you do then? Clowning?” He asked.

Yuuya grinned, a sly secretive smile that didn’t look like Yuuto’s smile at all. It was a unique smile to Yuuya’s face — one part mischief and one part wide eyed earnestness. 

“I’m The Entertainer! It’s the hardest job of the show — ehhh, well, it’s the most unique. I can’t say hardest because I’m no good at the things Yuzu is. . .” Yuuya shrugged, managed to look pitiable, made a flourishing bow and offered Shun a handful of tickets. “Come see our show? You can bring friends. The first one is on me, but if you like it — come back later in the summer.”

This summer they were supposed to go hiking and camping. Ruri and Yuuto had picked out a large dome tent that could fit six, even if there were only three of them.

“If I have time, I’ll come.” 

Yuuya laughed, as if he knew the joke there. He looked most like Yuuto when he laughed.

—

The Entertainer was code for clown, apparently. Shun couldn’t hold back his groan, even though he was sure it would be swallowed by the crowd. Next to him Ruri smiled, nudged him with her elbow.

“You thought it might be something more than just a kid’s show, huh?”

“There’s plenty of adults here.” 

“And us.”

“Yeah. . . and us.”

The traveling show set up its own tents, but half of the show had taken place outside as well. A woman on a motorcycle drove through flaming hoops and also performed far too many sword tricks than was probably safe while standing on the seat. A girl who must have been ‘Yuzu’ danced and sang with a Bengal tiger. They had been ushered through a row of refreshment stands — the show’s version of an intermission — before taking their seats in the raised bleachers under the tent.

Yuuya’s part of the show had been to make a fool of himself. Shun found himself comparing him to Yuuto. Would Yuuto have fallen over like that, kicked his feet ridiculously and laughed? Would Yuuto let another clown douse him in water and load him into a cannon? Would Yuuto accidentally land face first onto a pie?

It was too stupid to even consider.

Shun laughed for the first time in six months.

—

July was hot. Their house was practically a hotbox, even if they left the door open and placed fans around to direct airflow. Despite that Yuuya had insisted he come over anyway. Despite that, Shun hadn’t told him no.

Ruri had brought home shaved ice and the three of them took turns eating out of the one large bowl — three flavors, cherry, lemon and blueberry. Then she had declared it too hot to stay at home and left them to go to the library. Unless the power grid went off the library and public rec center were air conditioned.

Yuuya and Shun positioned themselves in front of the door, side by side, and flopped out in the heat.

“This is terrible,” Yuuya said and then jammed his fingers against Shun’s ribs.

“Ow — what?!”

“Aren’t you ticklish at all?” Yuuya demanded, thumbs shifting and roaming up Shun’s side. 

“ _That’s_ tickling?” Shun was too hot to roll his eyes, but he managed to convey it in his tone of voice.

“I am, along with title of Entertainer, a Master Tickler, I’ll have you know.”

“Save it for later.”

“Cooler weather, you mean?” Yuuya sounded wistful. Shun assumed it was due to the rising temperatures, they were only halfway through the hottest months, after all.

—

Early September came before anyone was ready for it. The trees had already lost their leaves to drought and sun, but the slight coolness in the air betrayed the change in seasons. Ruri still went barefoot and in shorts and she still spent the majority of her time at the library or rec center. I would be her last year, this year. It would have been Yuuto’s last year too. Classes would start up again soon, but for the first time in his life Shun didn’t have anything to study towards.

The circus’s last show had been on Friday. Shun showed up to the fairground on Saturday. The massive tent had been taken down, the bleachers disassembled and folded, long truckbeds were filled with the skeleton of it all.

“Up here!” Yuuya beckoned Shun to scale the side of the only fully loaded semi-truck. It was a tricky climb, but Yuuya pointed out a few handholds and Shun had a long reach.

“Leaving, soon?”

“People don’t come to the show when it gets cold, so we’re headed down south.” Yuuya’s grin was blinding. Shun almost didn’t see past it. “We only ever stay in one place for a few months.”

“You could, if you wanted. Everyone has a choice.” Shun said.

Yuuya laughed. He laughed and laughed and laid down on the roof of the truck and held both his hands up to the sky. “I’m following my father’s dream. I’m going to be as great as he is, someday.” He sounded so wistful.

“Top clown?” 

“More than that.”

“Hm.” Shun reached back, just so he could catch one of Yuuya’s hands with his. “Do you ever visit the same place more than once?”

Instead of answering, Yuuya sat straight up, threw his bodyweight against Shun and smiled. With their faces so close together, Shun would never mistake him for Yuuto. “Thanks for all the smiles and laughter. I’ll never forget, I promise!”


End file.
